Flame of Love
by DarkPoisonousLove
Summary: Valtor's latest idea to torture Griffin is to turn her own fierce love for her friends and students against her, making it the thing that will destroy her and turn her to ash. Set after 3x11. Rated T just to be safe.


**A/N: I am so obsessed with this paring. Here's another fic of Valtor torturing Griffin emotionally because I can't stop myself. I need help. Anyway, hope you enjoy. Reviews are greatly appreciated.**

Griffin stood as far away from the door of her cell as possible. She didn't want to catch even a glimpse of the horrible spectacle outside. Valtor had sent Zarathustra and Ediltrude to watch her and they were sitting obediently on both sides of her cell in their monster forms. The powerful witches were reduced to guard dogs–and to their own headmistress and best friend nonetheless–preventing her from escaping Valtor's clutches so that she could get help for them and all of their students. And in doing so, they were guarding themselves too.

Her head snapped in the direction of the door when she heard footsteps. They weren't coming from the twin sisters since they were too light to be produced by their massive legs and came from afar but were getting closer. Well, that was a first. Valtor hadn't bothered to come check up on her since he'd changed the lockdown spell, leaving her in the silent company of her mind-controlled friends and the screams of her own mind. Not that she missed his presence. It only meant that he'd come up with another idea how to make her life a little bit more of a hell. All her problems started and finished with him.

He came in sight as he stepped in front of the door with a wide grin on his face.

She only regarded him with a cold glare and didn't move from her position at the far end of the cell. The closer she was to him, the stronger was the temptation to try to attack him even though she knew that the bounce-back spell on the door would throw her magic back at her.

"Is the cell too small for all those thoughts that are spinning out of control in your head?" Valtor asked, hitting the nail right on the head. The recognition in his eyes was clearly visible even with the distance between them. "How would you like to join your fellow colleagues in service to me?" he opened his arms as though in an invitation, motioning at both of his sides where she knew Ediltrude and Zarathustra were even though she couldn't see them. He hadn't sent them away and Griffin wanted to claw his eyes out just for bringing them into that. Her skin broke into goosebumps just at the thought of him hurting them to hurt her.

"Even if I were to accept," and that would only happen in his dreams, "you won't let me out." He would never free her. It was why she'd ran away from him all those years ago. And he'd still come back to haunt her like a curse.

"You always were a clever girl," Valtor said, the condescending tone only making her roll her eyes at him. "You made a great partner," he continued, ignoring her. "That was until you betrayed me, of course." The fake calm tone couldn't deceive her. She could feel the simmering rage underneath directed at her. It was a miracle it hadn't burned her to crisp. "That's why you get special treatment." But then again, he had something far worse in mind.

"I'm not scared of you, Valtor." And even if she were, she would never let him see it.

"Are you sure?" Valtor asked as if seeing right through her. "I could brand you with my mark at any time, have you follow every single one of my orders."

Griffin held his gaze, refusing to let him put thoughts in her head, memories of how she once belonged to him and he didn't need any magic to make her do anything because he owned her heart.

"Or I could simply control your body while your mind remains your own but you're unable to do anything to seize control of your own actions," he continued, the smugness in his voice growing. "Like this," Valtor raised his hand and her legs started moving of their own volition. Or rather, his. His magic wrapped around her and stuck to her muscles, making her cross the cell and come stand in front of him, just a few inches away from the bars. He released his magical grip on her then, not forcing her to do anything that would humiliate her further. Instead, he reached through the bars–his own spell did nothing to stop him since it was meant to keep her prisoner, not protect her from him–and ran the tips of his fingers over her cheek.

Griffin didn't pull away from the touch, nor did she lean into it like she once would have. She just stood completely still–not even breathing–as if there was no touch at all. And, really, there wasn't. His hand was covered and all she could feel was the leather of his glove. And he was not powerful enough to instill fear by association with his glove alone, so she didn't back away since there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Such defiance," Valtor commented with amusement. "But it won't do you any good." He pulled his hand away from the bars where she couldn't reach him. "I could make you kneel before me with a single motion of my hand."

"Then go ahead and do it," Griffin said. It wasn't so much a challenge as it was awareness. She knew he could do it if he wanted to, but also knew him well enough to know he wouldn't. That was not how he wanted it.

"Oh, no," he spoke, confirming her guess. "You'll get there on your own. You'll grovel and cower when you see what I have in store for the Universe and, more importantly, for your friends."

Her lips parted when she gasped for air as the fear gripped at her throat.

"The Company of Light will be snuffed out forever as darkness takes over the world." Valtor licked his lips as if he could already taste their downfall and his own victory. "I've already started with your dear friend Faragonda."

This time her heart skipped a beat at the mention of the fairy headmistress. She remembered Winx telling her that Faragonda had gone missing after her battle with Valtor. It had been the only thing she could think about besides her fellow witches trapped under Valtor's spell. She was dying to know what had happened to her friend but she'd never ask Valtor. She wouldn't provide him with another means to torture her. She wouldn't let him make her beg for information he could withhold from her so easily.

"She needs all the light she can get now or she'll fade," he spoke, having sensed her worry, and so he made his words as cryptic as possible, telling her just enough to make her ache to know the rest. "Too bad there won't be much of that soon," he said, his words sounding final, and stepped back as if preparing to leave.

"What do you mean fade? What did you do to her?" Griffin fired at him, unable to contain the worry eating away at her.

Valtor stopped and looked at her again. "You'd better hope that her little students can find a way to save her before I get my hands on this latest magic I've got on my list," he said, not really answering her questions. "Otherwise, the remainder of her days will be very short and dark."

That was when her insides started to freeze with terror. Because he knew what Winx were up to, and yet, he didn't seem interested in stopping them which could only mean one thing.

"But if they do manage to free her," he said, giving her another piece of information that didn't make sense to her on its own, "I'll make all of you wish they hadn't," he finished her thought for her.

Griffin felt her legs grow weak and she reached out to grab at the bars so as to not slump on the floor, but Valtor caught her arm before she could touch them and get flung back by the spell he'd put on them.

"Now, now, Griffin," he said as he leaned in, his face almost pressed to the bars. "Save some of that misery for when you actually see what I'll do to everyone you love." His grip on her arm tightened at the last word, causing her to grit her teeth in pain. He seemed to notice for he let go of her but before he could pull his hand away, her fingers closed in his sleeve in a death grip, keeping him in place.

"You're a monster, Valtor," Griffin said, her tone even as the rage built inside her, mirroring his own a few minutes ago.

"And you're not," his voice spoke of betrayal and disappointment that she'd chosen the loneliness of the light rather than the company of his darkness. "So you'll suffer," he said as he pulled his sleeve out of her grasp and left without sparing another glance at her.


End file.
